Follow Us

More

New Exclusive Transformers Revealed at Hasbro's Own Convention

Hasbro has unveiled a new range of Transformers toys, with a pile of promo pictures that debuted exclusively at HASCON. This event marks Hasbro’s first attempt at hosting its own comic-con-style spectacular. To make the occasion extra special, they even flew geek icon and Guardians of the Galaxydirector James Gunn out to the event, which took place September 8-10 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Gunn gifted HASCON with a couple of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 scoops, raising the profile of the event by dropping news-worthy info during his panel. Gunn revealed that he doesn’t plan to include Vance Astro, the original comic book leader of the Guardians, in the upcoming spacefaring sequel. He also expressed an interest in exploring Rocket Raccoon’s backstory in a future Marvel Studios film. And if you’re wondering why an MCU mainstay like Gunn would be at a Hasbro event, it’s worth remembering that the iconic toy company announced a new Marvel range not long ago.

But, of course, Hasbro will always be associated with the Transformers brand above all else. It’s no surprise, then, that the first ever HASCON featured the launch of a whole new range of robots in disguise, which includes all your favorite Autobots alongside an abundance of Dinobots. This new range is entitled 'Transformers: Generations - Power of the Primes', and you can check it out here:

[vn_gallery name="HASCON Exclusive Transformers" id="1062378"]

This is a rather exciting unveiling, as product launches go. The new version of Optimus Prime looks glorious, and the manifold Dinobot figures are bound to fly off shelves once they reach stores. The Grimlock toys will surely be popular, too. There’s a distinct lack of Decepticons, though, with this range focusing solely on the good guys. With the exception of the big Optimus Prime (which is coming in Spring 2018), these toys will be available to buy in Fall 2017. They're all suitable for ages 8 and up.

These new toys allude to a bygone age of Transformers designs. They look more like the classic animated series Autobots than the spiky iterations that have graced Michael Bay’s film franchise over the last few years. This makes a certain amount of sense: the critical bashing and financial crashing endured by Transformers: The Last Knightmarked the end of Bay’s partnership with Hasbro’s iconic robot/car hybrids. From here on out, it would be logical for Hasbro to try some different approaches. Tapping into the nostalgia linked with the classic designs is a good place to start.

Bumblebee– a spinoff set in the 1980s – is the next film on Hasbro’s Transformers slate. The fate of the main franchise, post-Bay, remains up in the air. The Last Knight writer Akiva Goldsman recently stepped away from the series, as well. Whoever follows in Bay and Goldsman's footsteps will have to find some ways to fix the franchise.